


Everybody hurts (and that hurts everyone)

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-07-10
Packaged: 2018-07-22 19:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7450687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has occurred to me that all of the Avengers have traumatic pasts. I decided it was time for them to work through their issues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Job

Elizabeth Stevenson stared at the fist marks in the plasterboard wall of her clinically white office and wondered, not for the first time, if she was crazy. As a psychologist, she was fairly certain that she wasn't, but then again, anybody who agreed to be one of SHEILD's in house psychologists must be a bit strange. At least the job is never dull, she thought as the most challenging yet rewarding assignment she would ever encounter strode towards her door.

Phil Couslon was at his wits end. The Avengers were getting more tense, more irritable, closer to snapping with every passing week and so far, nothing had helped. He had tried counsellors, separating the team, team building activities, everything he could think of, but each members' issues were making it impossible for the team to function. This was his last hope. With a sigh Phil knocked on the door, praying that the woman one the other side would be able to fix things before everything imploded. 

"Agent Coulson. How nice to see you!" greeted Elizabeth as she opened the door. "How may I help you?" Coulson didn't bother attepmting small talk, merely striding straight into the room and positioning himself in a chair (all of which, he noted, had the best view of the room possible). "I have a... sensitive matter I need your help with." Elizabeth nodded at him to continue. "I want you to deal with the Avengers. They have been struggling to get along, to say the least. I fear someone will be severely injured if we aren't careful." Having dealt with many agents in her year with SHEILD, she new one thing for certain. Be it an assassination attempt or an office mixer, every mission has an endgame, a goal. This would be no different. "What do you want me to do?" she queried, anticipating the evasive apply typical of agents.

To Elizabeth's surprise, Coulson simply responded with "Fix them. Don't let them destroy themselves. Teach them how to talk to each other." The look he gave was almost pleading. Evidently she was the last resort. "Who will I be having sessions with?" Here, Phil sighed. "We're putting you in charge of the group session, but not the individual ones. Doctor Taylor will be doing those." Dr Taylor was the head of department, an annoying, sexist, xenophobic and generally unpleasant old man. He was hardly going to get along well with the Avengers, especially if they were feeling uncooperative. "I know," continued Coulson, "he is going to mess it up. But he knows too much for us to fire him." Elizabeth smiled a somewhat vindictive smile. "From what I've heard, he won't last a week with them. I'll be ready to take over." Phil nodded. "Your first session is next week. Is there anything you would like sorting?" She quickly sorted through all the potential issues and disasters that she could prevent and then said, "I want a biggest room, soundproofed and with steel walls. I also need some beanbags and if you could tell them that they can come and visit me or look through the mirror at me," She waved at the one way mirror on one wall, "I would appreciate it." Phil nodded. Perhaps this soman really was in with a chance of helping...


	2. No Secrets from a Spy

Natasha Romanov woke at precicely 4:30 am, as she did every morning. She threw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt (Tony's, she noted), then jogged down the stairs to the training room three floors below. She pulled out a mat and worked through a simple yoga routine until 5:15, at which time she was joined by Steve and Bucky. She changed into a combat suit from the lockers at the side of the arge hall, seemingly without a thought for her privacy, and then the three of them practised fights against a small army of drones controlled by JARVIS. By 7:00, the trio were somewhat tired, and Steve and Bucky left. It was then that Bruce, still on edge around the newest addition to their disfunctional team, came into the room and sat opposite her to meditate. At 7:30, JARVIS would summon all members of the team but Tony to the communal floor where they would take breakfast and discuss (read argue over) recent missions. 

This morning, however, when JARVIS addressed her at the end of her meditation, there was a touch of urgency in his voice and when she arrived on the communal floor, the entire team including Tony was standing around the table with grim expressions on their faces. It was Clint who spoke first. "They want us to see psychologists."

Natasha's breath halted, her body froze. She had dealt with many psychologists in her time, and it very rarely ended well. Now SHEILD, who had saved her, who had taken her in were trying to poke about in her brain just like the others had...

She snapped out of her reverie, pulling in a deep breath and throwing herself down into a chair. "What's the plan?" She asked. The team looked at her, and in their eyes she saw something of herself reflected: defiance. For their own reasons, none of them wanted a shrink who would only make things worse.

"We fight." Tony said, and the entire team shouted out their agreement.


End file.
